Producing multiple slit coils of metal from a single coil of metal is a useful process that transforms a large coil of steel into more useable pieces of a desired width. One of the most difficult parts of the process is getting started. When starting a slitter, the traditional method of doing so required slowly feeding the material into the slitter during the startup with the slitter knives slitting the material from the moment the leading edge of the coil contacted the slitter knives. Immediately after the slit material leaves the slitter the leading edge is transformed into multiple strips of metal. The then slit material curls in opposite directions and the ends spread apart in alternating up and down directions. Depending on the thickness of the material positioning the slit material is a challenge for different reasons. In the case of extremely thin material, the thin edges may act as blades that may cut operators who are forced to handle multiple freely moving strips of steel. In the case of thick material, blunt force is required to wrestle the material into position to be fed into subsequent parts of the slitting line. The operators of the slitter are forced to handle multiple relatively narrow strips of metal from the slitter across the pit table above a looping pit. Operators are forced to move the coil forward at a very slow rate of speed while carefully threading each of the many strips into a tensioner. The strips must be further wrestled into position to be placed into a recoiler. To avoid having multiple slit strips flopping in multiple directions operators have had to employ their own makeshift solutions to keep the strips together. One of these has been for the operators to clamp the multiple strips between boards, then take the heavy, awkward board and metal clamped leading edge through the slitter line until the leading edge of the metal can be attached to the recoiler. This additional step of attaching a makeshift jig made from clamped boards slows the threading process down from its normal running speed compared. An easier way to keep the slit strips together through the threading process is needed.